Is intellectual dishonesty a reason for underdevelopment in Tanzania?...!!

Dishonest is a fast growing cancer destroying our slowly developing nations. Sometimes I think the poor performance of our parastatals and public systems is directly linked to poor managers or leaders who have been employed by the virtue of their degree or certificate scores.

I hear of a first class university graduate who cant justify his application/need for a job in an interview and is offered a chance to

write a letter of intent on-the-spot; ends up failing to write even a single clear paragraph,

I can assure you (taking the performance of their leadership); very few of our officials in the government or policy makers possess authentic degrees; passed by cheating, got job offers by nepotism and climbed leadership ladders by bribery and favoritism.

Currently we have a media debate in Tanzania against some ministers who are alleged to have acquired illegally (if not faked, stolen or purchased) their higher education masters and some even PhDs. ministers?? MPs? How can such higher office authorities be of the kind? What is the situation in lower cadres?

I tend to think of how can doctors who have graduated out of cheating treat me or my relative? I know many who actually passed their basic science exams with flying colors out of cheating and scored C or failed their clinical's; a scenario that doesn’t match the reality albeit some made it both ways; cheated to their medical degrees.

I remember a funny senior medical student who wanted to win a research grant but was required to write a 3- paged research concept paper; took someone’s past research proposal and deleted a couple of first pages until 3 pages remained; ended up with a funny writing; how could a he not understand the difference between deleting and writing a short description?

We also see it in the media, you read a very nice article and commend the writer on a such nicely research-e- thoughtful-idea just to come and find out it was a copy and paste from a foreign writer who he didn’t mention or acknowledge. It’s so disgusting to have such people who would go to the extremes of actually writing you back to say "I m humbled by your praises"

Maybe a confusion exists between the legal meaning of Plagiarism and "technology transfer"which I real doubt...!

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Responding to a post on Is intellectual dishonesty posted on Facebook Thursday, December 3, 2009 !